WASHINGTON INTERNET DAILY - Cyberschools Attract Students

WASHINGTON INTERNET DAILY
Cyberschools Attract Students

July 6, 2007

The term "cyberschool" summons images of plugged-in pupils downloading knowledge or teachers instructing by hologram. But online schools draw all kinds of K-12 students, from learning disabled to gifted and talented. Supporters laud the benefits of personalized instruction. Critics deride such programs as a government-funded form of homeschooling that doesn't socialize students.

The Florida Virtual Academy is part of a virtual school pilot program created by the Florida Department of Education to reduce class size. The school lends students a computer and printer, providing Internet fees, CDs, videos, musical instruments and books to 900 or so K-8 students. Thousands apply for admission, but enrollment is limited by law, Head of School Patty Betoni told us. Students are drawn to the program for reasons including severe food allergies and the desire for more rigorous and challenging courses, she said. Students spend 20 25 percent of their school time working on the computer. "We believe in a balanced approach toward education," she said. "Computers also act as powerful learning tools that can motivate, stimulate, and inform children about the world around them," the school's Web site says. "They do not, however, replace a solid education." Academy students take field trips to museums, parks, zoos and elsewhere. "The underlying continuum is that the parents want to be more involved," Betoni said. The online learning system lets parents easily track students progress. Academy students take the same standardized tests as their brick-and- mortar counterparts.

During the 2005-2006 school year, 700,000 U.S. K-12 students took at least one online class, the largest number at the high school level, said Bill Tucker, chief operating officer of Education Sector, a think tank. Online enrollment has doubled in 3 years. In 2006 2007, Missouri, North and South Carolina, and South Dakota joined 24 other states that had set up state-run virtual high school programs. Taking an online course is a high school graduation requirement in Michigan.

About 90,000 students attend cyberschool full time, but most students taking online classes do so to supplement brick and mortar education, like "the 11th grade student who's going to a traditional high school that doesn't offer AP biology or the student who's fallen behind and makes up a course," Tucker said. Most virtual schools are government-sponsored online schools or charter schools contracting with school districts, he said. Such programs give students "different options... the big focus is equity, they want to make sure all students have access to highly qualified teachers," he said. Virtual school programs are particularly attractive in rural areas where schools are far apart. Despite media focus on a few full-time cyberschools, "it's much more prevalent to have students mixing, going to a regular high school but taking some courses online," Tucker said. Virtual schools are "not going to change the fundamentals," but they're going to "change up a lot of the constraints."

The "homeschooling issue" is controversial, Tucker said. But parents aren't creating the lessons or even teaching their children. Students follow a curriculum taught online by a licensed teacher through bulletin boards, e-mail, WebEx conference, "virtual whiteboard" or even webcam. "It's not just a kid sitting in front of a computer," he said. Since virtual schools remain a new concept, quality and style vary widely, he said. Others worry that online students do not socialize enough with their peers.

About 25,000 elementary and high-school students learn using materials developed by K12, a company founded in 1999 by former U.S. Secretary of Education Bill Bennett. "We're a vendor, just like busing and food services," K12 Public Relations Director Jeff Kwitowski told us. The company develops and distributes online curricula and the platform delivering them. "It's a new style of learning, kids are watching their older siblings, mothers and fathers and business professionals work online and train online," he said. Students get individual attention and lesson plans tailored to their needs. Last year students used about 2,500 different configurations of the curriculum, he said. The company helps schools sponsor online safety training for parents and students; computers lent to students come with blocking software. - Alexis Fabbri